Wholesome Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze
I am chipping away at my baby weight loss goal and so far so good. The weight is slowly coming off and I can feeling my body getting back to normal. I have no big secret as to how I am getting myself back in shape, it is plain old diet and exercise. Like most people I wish there was some magic bullet to help me shed the unwanted pounds – but there isn’t! Instead I am pulling back on the sweets and treating myself to the occasional wholesome treat like a slice of this carrot bread or brownie made with yogurt.
One of the things I love about this bread is that it still tastes amazingly warm and comforting, like all great quick breads, so you really don’t notice the missing calories. The sweet carrot flavor and tangy glaze makes it perfect for spring. It is so much lighter than the heavy chocolate desserts I was enjoying last fall! I made this spring carrot treat more wholesome with two simple changes: substituting yogurt for butter and cutting the amount of sugar in half. I even used Non-Fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese for the glaze. I am thrilled to report that even with these recipe changes the loaf was still moist and fragrant like a carrot cake! I did note, however, that if I ever want it slightly richer I’ll use this recipe for cream cheese frosting (yum!)
Of course, once this particular loaf out of the oven and ready to eat I had to exercise the third important part of weight loss – portion control! Luckily, I was able to pass off several pieces to my daughter for her outdoor class picnic and my husband took some to work. With just a few slices left for me I was in good shape. I satisfied my sweets craving without blowing my diet. I plan to make some next week for a brunch I am hosting. It will be the perfect treat for my friends. Here are some more delicious brunch recipes if you need ideas! Happy Spring!
(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Kraft. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make The Naptime Chef possible.)
Recipe
Wholesome Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
| ½ | stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature |
| 1/8 | cup low-fat Greek yogurt |
| ½ | cup light brown sugar |
| 2 | large eggs |
| 1 | teaspoon vanilla extract |
| 1 | cup carrots, peeled and finely grated |
| 1 ¼ | cup all-purpose flour |
| 1 | teaspoon baking powder |
| ½ | teaspoon baking soda |
| 1 | teaspoon kosher salt |
| 1 | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
| 2 | ounces low-fat Philadelphia cream cheese |
| 1 | cup confectioners’ sugar |
| 2 | teaspoons whole milk |
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, yogurt, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in the carrots.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to the wet ingredients and stir everything together so that it is smooth with no lumps. Then, pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and level the top with a spatula.
4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched and a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool for ten minutes in the pan. Then, turn it out onto a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.
5. Once it has cooled beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and milk until a thick glaze forms. If it needs to be thinner add more milk by the teaspoon. Drizzle the glaze over the loaf as desired. Slice and serve.
Naptime Notes
Naptime Recipe Serving ideas
This simple loaf is the perfect easy snack when you are in the mood for a wholesome treat. It is also nice for a lunchbox snack. This would be a great recipe to make with kids! If you want to freeze this loaf wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. Glaze once it has been thawed.
Naptime Stopwatch
20 minutes prep time, 40 minutes baking time
Naptime Reviews
This was a very popular spring treat!
I’d put some grated orange peel in the cake and in the glaze, plus some orange juice in the glaze.